On March 23, 2021, Iowa's correctional system experienced its deadliest day in decades. At Anamosa State Penitentiary, an inmate launched attacks that killed nurse Lorena Schulte and social worker Robert McFarland, and seriously injured two other staff members. The attacks happened in the facility's medical unit and sent a shock through Iowa corrections that prompted immediate security reviews and longer-term policy questions about staffing, safety protocols, and the conditions that enabled the violence.
What Happened on March 23, 2021
The attacks occurred in the medical unit at Anamosa State Penitentiary — a medium/maximum security men's facility in Anamosa, Iowa, approximately 30 miles northeast of Cedar Rapids. The perpetrator used improvised weapons to attack multiple staff members. Lorena Schulte and Robert McFarland died from their injuries. A correctional officer and another nurse were also injured in the attacks.
The fact that the attacks occurred in a medical unit is significant. Medical areas of correctional facilities present particular security challenges: they require the movement of incarcerated people into close proximity with staff who are primarily healthcare providers rather than security personnel, often in settings where the physical environment is not designed with the same security controls as housing units.
The Staffing Question
In the aftermath of the attacks, Iowa corrections officers and their union raised immediate concerns about staffing levels at Anamosa. The Iowa State Penitentiary Officers Association and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) argued that chronic understaffing at Iowa state prisons had contributed to unsafe conditions, and that incidents like the Anamosa attacks were a predictable consequence of asking too few staff to supervise too many inmates in too many different areas simultaneously.
The staffing concerns had predated the attacks. Iowa prison officers had documented their concerns about facility staffing through the union, and the attacks brought those concerns to the attention of the governor's office and the legislature in a way that prior advocacy had not achieved.
Legislative and Administrative Response
The Iowa Legislature convened hearings on prison safety following the attacks. Governor Kim Reynolds ordered a review of security protocols across Iowa's nine state prisons, and the Iowa DOC implemented a number of immediate changes to protocols in the medical unit at Anamosa and at other facilities. Changes included:
- Review and modification of procedures for inmate movement into medical areas
- Assessment of security equipment in medical units including duress alarms and camera coverage
- Review of staffing ratios in areas where inmates are in close proximity to clinical staff
Lorena Schulte and Robert McFarland
Lorena Schulte had worked as a nurse at Anamosa State Penitentiary, providing medical care to the facility's incarcerated population. Robert McFarland was a social worker who provided reentry and social services support. Both were performing the core work that correctional healthcare and programming requires — putting professionals who aim to help in direct contact with people who have committed serious crimes — and both paid for that work with their lives.
The Iowa DOC honored both in the aftermath of the attacks, and their deaths became part of a broader national conversation about the safety of healthcare and social services professionals working in correctional settings.
What Anamosa Is Today
Anamosa State Penitentiary continues to operate as a medium/maximum security facility. The security protocols implemented after March 2021 remain in place. For families with loved ones at Anamosa, the 2021 attacks represent a pivotal moment in the facility's history — one that prompted real safety reviews and protocol changes that affect operations today.
Iowa DOC headquarters: 510 East 12th Street, Des Moines, IA 50319. Phone: (515) 725-5701. Website: doc.iowa.gov.